Stanley C.S. Chan

Stanley Chum Shang Chan was born in the Year of the Tiger on May 8 over 80 years ago. He was born near Nanning in the province of Guangxi (Kwangsi) in China. Stanley was the fifth of seven children (six boys and a girl) born to his parents.

Stanley's father, Chan Juk Ping, was one of the pioneering Adventist pastors in the Guangxi province. His mother, Chan Ng Wei Jun, was a Bible worker.

Stanley's father died when he was very little and the children were raised by their mother, assisted by the older brothers.

It was a turbulent time in China with the Nationalists fighting the Communists for control of the land. Despite this, Stanley still managed to get an education as a young boy in a one room schoolhouse whose schoolmaster happened to be his future wife's father.

Stanley was able to stay in Hong Kong for several years, but had to move back to Nanning once World War II started and Hong Kong was bombed.

From Nanning he subsequently went to Chongqing (Chungking), where he completed his high school education and did did some college preparatory work.

After finishing at Chungking Stanley started classes at the medical school at Guongwa in Guongdong (Canton) province.

Stanley was a spiritual man and he demonstrated his commitment to his faith when he decided to leave medical school after running into Sabbath keeping issues. The school required classes and testing on the Sabbath which went against Stanley's beliefs. Stanley never regretted leaving medical school for Sabbath keeping reasons.

Stanley then went to the Adventist church school at Chou Tou Jun. Stanley continued his education in the school for a short time, but all education stopped when the Communists came into the area and the entire school relocated to Hong Kong.

After a time the school was persuaded to move back to mainland China, but Stanley did not follow. Instead, Stanley found a job as a primary school teacher at the Sam Yuk Adventist Church School in Hong Kong. He found that he enjoyed teaching, and he made a strong impression on many of his students.

During this time as a primary school teacher, he became reacquainted with Lomina Chang, a former classmate in his one room schoolhouse. They grew closer and closer over time, and married on April 19, 1953 at the Hong Kong Adventist Church after a three year courtship.

Stanley remained at his job as a primary school teacher for five years, but deep inside he still wanted to further his education.

There were no higher educational opportunities for Stanley in Hong Kong at that time—the only university there required Sabbath classes and testing. So Stanley decided to apply to colleges outside of Hong Kong.

He applied to several colleges in America, and one in Australia. After much prayer with Lomina, he decided that he would attend the first college that accepted him. That turned out to be Union College in Lincoln, Nebraska.

The young couple originally planned to travel to America together, however the American consulate denied Lomina's application.

Though it was a hard decision to leave his young wife after only two years of marriage, Stanley proceeded with Lomina's blessings. He boarded ship in Hong Kong on the liner, President Cleveland, for the trip to San Francisco in May of 1955.

Stanley's years at Union College were very busy. He had jobs as a lab assistant, a teaching assistant, as well as the janitor for the library all at the same time. This was in addition to taking a full load of mostly science classes.

Stanley's school life was enlivened by the arrival of his wife, Lomina, in his senior year. Stanley was an excellent cook and many of his classmates remember the tastiness of his cooking even to this day.

Stanley graduated from Union College in May of 1959. This milestone was soon followed by several others: Stanley and Lomina's first child, Gordon, was born in July of 1959; their second child, Raymond, was born in November of 1960; and their third child, Linda, was born in September of 1961.

Though Stanley had been accepted into the medical school at Loma Linda, it was simply impossible to proceed along this course.

But when God closes one door he opens up another. Stanley found out about a program Loma Linda had for laboratory technicians. It was ideal for Stanley's needs and desires.

Stanley enrolled in the program and, after completing the required courses, graduated and began working.

Stanley believed in working hard in order to create a better life for his family, but even with a busy schedule he always made sure that he had Sabbath off to go to church. On his days off he also volunteered to take care of the three children.

Stanley was also very active in the church. During the 1960s Stanley and Lomina helped to start the Los Angeles Chinese Seventh Day Adventist Church. Both of them were charter members there, and Stanley also served as one of the elders.

The Chan family moved to Loma Linda in 1974. Typical of his generous and selfless nature, Stanley suggested the move to decrease the amount of driving Lomina and the kids would have, even though it meant that his own driving time would increase substantially.

Stanley continued to be active in the church after the move. In 1975 both Stanley and Lomina helped to start the Loma Linda Chinese Seventh Day Adventist Church, where once again they were charter members and Stanley was an elder.

In addition, Stanley led out in Sabbath School and preached the occasional sermon. Stanley also researched and wrote articles that were published in the Chinese Review and Herald religious magazine.

Stanley and Lomina regularly opened up their home for Bible studies, for church services before the church was built, for church board meetings, for choir practice, and for Friday night vespers.

Stanley always did what he could to ensure that everyone was happy and fulfilled. After the kids were grown and out of the house, Lomina retired. Stanley agreed to let Lomina follow her dream to go back to China to learn acupuncture. He also agreed when Lomina subsequently set up an acupuncture clinic with her friend, Dr. Afu Zhou, in Richardson, Texas. At the time Texas provided a business environment that was better for acupuncture.

Stanley's trait of looking after the welfare of others occurred daily as well. At meals he often scooped up more food to put on a person's plate if he saw that their plate was empty.

When he did this the food would end up on the plate no matter what—it didn't matter how full the person said they were. Stanley thought people were being polite when they said “No” so he ignored their protests and made sure that they were well fed.

Through it all Stanley remained the hardworking, generous, kindhearted and selfless person we all came to know and love. He was a rock of stability through those often tumultuous times.

Stanley retired himself in 1996 and went to Texas to join Lomina. By this time she had opened a second acupuncture clinic in Arlington. Stanley helped man the receptionist desk at the clinics and kept Lomina company while she worked.

In 2003 Stanley and Lomina celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary. Many family members and friends came and made it a fun and joyous occasion.

Shortly after that Stanley and Lomina retired for the second time and moved back to Loma Linda.

They also accelerated their trips to China and spent many enjoyable moments there seeing the different natural and man-made wonders and visiting old friends.

This idyllic time began to change in 2008. Stanley became seriously ill with pneumonia while on a trip to Japan and China, and had to be hospitalized in Hong Kong.

After recovering from the pneumonia Stanley developed a cancerous growth on his right leg. Efforts to eliminate the cancer failed, but God heard Stanley's prayers and the prayers offered up on his behalf, and the chemotherapy actually did significantly reduce the cancer's size, spread and aggressiveness.

Stanley continued to experience a good quality of life: he had enough energy to do the activities that he desired, he was not in significant pain, and he continued to have a good appetite.

This gave the Chan family an opportunity to have one final family road trip. Stanley and Lomina, along with their children and grandchildren, rented a large motor home and toured the national parks that Stanley wanted to see.

The Grand Canyon, Bryce, and Zion National Parks were all visited and the beautiful sites there enjoyed, but the greatest joy for the family on that trip was being able to spend more time with Stanley.

The end drew near and Stanley began a slow downward spiral from which he would never fully recover.

Many people visited Stanley at home, or during his stays in the hospital or the skilled nursing facility— to these people the Chan family offers our thanks and gratitude. These visits meant a lot to both Stanley and the family, and they always had a positive result on our spirits.

Stanley Chum Shang Chan breathed his last on Tuesday, September 27 at 11:14 am, and we all celebrate the wonderful life that he led.

But this is not the end of Stanley's story.

Stanley had a strong Christian faith, and the Bible in 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17 (NKJV) clearly tells us what to expect:

16 For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. 17 Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And thus we shall always be with the Lord.

Those who believe in Christ know that we will be reunited with Stanley at Jesus' Second Coming. And at that time we will see Stanley again—the Young Stanley. even more healthy, vibrant, and energetic than ever before. And we will once again hear his booming voice and his deep, unique laugh. And we will once again hear him insisting that we take the third and fourth and fifth helpings of fruit from the Tree of Life even after we tell him that we're full.

A visitation will be held on Friday, October 07, 2011 from 4:00-8:00 P.M. Funeral Service will be held on Saturday, October 08, 2011 at 4:00 P.M. at Loma Linda Chinese SDA Church with burial at Montecito Memorial Park. Arrangements under the direction of Montecito Memorial Park & Mortuary, Colton, California.